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| Nickel Boys |
Jennie Kermode writes: A massively ambitious piece of filmmaking, RaMell Ross' adaptation of Colson Whitehead's already challenging book was always destined to divide audiences. It's a work in which form is foregrounded, with its first person perspective helping it to navigate narrative twists and also subverting the traditions of Black objectification in films for mixed audiences, particularly significant when its subject matter concerns the victimisation of Black people. In this case, that's two boys who, for differing reasons, find themselves detained in the Nickel School, a fictional version of the infamous Arthur G Dozier’s Florida School for Boys. There they are subjected to ongoing abuse including the exploitation of their labour, all in conditions which closely resemble slavery. Disturbing enough on release, it's a film which has acquired additional urgency in light of some of what is happening under the current US regime, and Ross brings remarkable craft and sharp intention to every instant of it.
Bridge Of Spies, 6.15pm, Film4 Wednesday, September 30
If spy swapping sounds like a study of bureaucratic and dusty dullness, Steven Spielberg will soon banish those thoughts with this Cold War thriller that positively throbs with tension, while bringing much more humanistic warmth to the material than you might expect. Tom Hanks, who always feels somehow born to play his roles, takes on another cracker. He plays insurance lawyer James Donovan, who finds himself called in to defend a Russian spy (Mark Rylance) and, by baby steps, becomes involved in a prisoner exchange. His well-calibrated everyman is matched, step-for-step by Rylance, who puts in a wryly enjoyable performance. Spielberg, meanwhile, finds delight in detail and again proves he's a master craftsman by keeping things pacy and taut despite the story's sprawling timeline and complexity.
Shame, 11.15pm, Film4, Wednesday, September 30
After winning the BAFTA for best newcomer for his film debut Hunger, and before finding serious international acclaim with 12 Years A Slave, Steve McQueen (writing with Abi Morgan) reteamed with Michael Fassbender for this story of a man whose life begin to spiral out of control after his sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in. Like Hunger, Shame hinges on a mind/body tug of war, only this time it is sexual appetite that Fassbender's Brandon is struggling to control. If Brandon is all about the physical and fears intimacy, his sister Sissy is his polar opposite, desperate for emotional connection. Although the lack of a straightforward arc may be a turn-off for some, for others McQueen's refusal to offer easy answers will be as magnetic as the performances from Mulligan and Fassbender. Read what Fassbender and McQueen said about costuming and addiction, plus our article on the myth of sex addiction in film
The Holdovers, 9pm, Film4, Thursday, October 1
You could argue that it’s a bit early in the calendar for Film4 to be giving is Christmas-oriented film its network premiere but a bit of comfort and joy is surely welcome at any time of year. Alexander Payne’s comedy drama is set in 1970 as the term at Barton Academy boarding school is wrapping up for the festive season. Not all the kids are getting to go home, however. They are the “holdovers” who find themselves being watched over by curmudgeonly classics professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti, on top form) and the school cook Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). Payne takes his time to set the scene and pace before Hunham and the kids learn some things about life that school couldn’t teach. Bittersweet in all the right ways, it also marks the debut of Dominic Sessa as cocky teen Angus Tully – hopefully we’ll see him in a lot more going forward.
Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma, MUBI, streaming from Friday, October 2
Even if you only watch the incredible opening credits sequence of Jane Schoenbrun’s latest film you’ll have been entertained more than by many full length features. It takes us through a whistlestop tour of a fictionalised slasher film franchise, Camp Miasma, the setting for which will also become the backdrop for this film because the place it was shot is where its final girl Billy (Gillian Anderson) has chosen to live. She’s being sought out by indie breakout director Kris (Hannah Einbinder), who is the latest to be given the opportunity to resurrect the franchise. Schoenbrun knows the Eighties genre being tackled inside and out, offering both homage and critique of it simultaneously. A heady mix of psychosexual shenanigans and bloodletting, which also contains a film within a film, its OTT direction is likely to prove exhilarating for some and exhausting for others but there’s no doubting the skill of the acting or filmmaking craft.
As Good As It Gets, 9pm, Great TV (Freeview channel 34), Friday, October 3
Although James L Brooks is best known for his TV work, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant and Taxi, he’s no slouch when it comes to writing for the big screen either and, though it was made a decade later, As Good As It Gets has much of the offbeat, sparky relationship zing of his previous Broadcast News. OCD, misanthropic writer Melvin (Jack Nicholson) finds himself dog-sitting for the neighbour (Greg Kinnear) he’s been throwing homophobic abuse at, while also forging an unlikely relationship with a diner waitress (Helen Hunt) who has a sick son. At more than two hours long, some of this is a bit of a narrative ramble that feels as though it has escaped from a longer comedy series, and it's not without a certain amount of cliché but Nicholson turns the charisma up to stun and is matched step-for-step by Hunt, with both – unusually for a comedy – managing to win Best Acting Oscars for their trouble.
The Substance, 10pm, BBC2, Friday, October 3
Body horror and women’s self-image has been having something of a resurgence lately and this is a great example of it. Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is feeling the march of time, so when she hears about a drug that can temporarily turn back the clock, it seems like the perfect solution. The result is Sue (Margaret Qualley), a younger more fabulous alter ego, with the only snag being that the pair have to switch places periodically to maintain the health of Elizabeth. Things, as you probably expect, do not go to plan, with Coralie Fargeat not only delivering the visceral horror in spades but also offering a scathing consideration of celebrity culture and our image-obsessed society.
